Harrow pharmacies held back!

Parents of young children with minor illnesses should take them to pharmacies rather than GPs or A&E, says NHS England’s Stay Well Pharmacy campaign that urges people to visit their local pharmacist first to help save the NHS money.While there is such a high national emphasis on the role of pharmacists, the Harrow clinical commissioning group (HCCG) does not provide an opportunity for Harrow pharmacists to broaden their scope in the community through minor ailment scheme.The aim of the Minor Ailment Service (MAS) is to support the provision of direct pharmaceutical care on the NHS by community pharmacists to members of the public for some common illness.Dr Bruce Warner, deputy chief pharmaceutical officer for NHS England, said: “Pharmacists are highly trained NHS health professionals who are able to offer clinical advice and effective treatments for a wide range of minor health concerns right there and then.”In Harrow, like elsewhere, the Harrow CCG has the commissioning responsibilities but with a difference that the walk-in centres and some GP practices, seemingly more represented at the Harrow CCG level, are commissioned for the sort of MAS that the pharmacies could provide – also read about the conflict of interest [1], [2].We glen serious concerns from the local pharmacists that far from having the opportunity to broaden their scope in the community, there seems to be a systematic process in favour of the walk-in clinics and GP enterprise.